user tracking

[teo99]

Ok, here's my problem :

Basicly I want PHP to start a session for each user that enter my web site and destroy it when he leavs. My problem is that if I let PHP use cookies it remembers the session ID for each user and if I dont'n let him use cookies every time the user hits refresh on the home page PHP generates a new session ID.

Thanx in advance.

[[deleted]]

So what's the problem?

[teo99]

The problem is that on the first page when session_start() is called if the user press refresh PHP generates a new session id even if one already exists and I don't want that to happen.

[[deleted]]

That should not happen if you use cookies.

[teo99]

As I said before if I use cookies then PHP will rebember the session id for each user and I don't want that.

I think I've been clear :
- user enters site -> a session id is generated
- if user still has the site loaded in his browser and navigates through it (e.g. comes back to the home page or hits refresh all he wants) the same session id is passed

- user exits site -> session id is destroyed

If u know a way to do that please tell me.

[[deleted]]

sigh that is EXACTLY what sessions do when you use cookies.

Read the PHP manual:

http://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.session.php

[Anon]

That is what sessions do, except for:

user exits site -> session id is destroyed

because there is no such thing (you can create a special page that removes the cookie, but there's nothing you can do to require browsers to go there.)

Rather, what happens is that when the same person comes back later without the session ID cookie, they get a new session. The old session data is eventually garbage collected (as a completely unrelated issue.)

[Anon]

Note also: the user's session (or visit to your site) will last until they kill their browser, unless you explicitly end it via session_destroy ( )

[[deleted]]

Allmost.
A session lives untill PHP kills it.
Killing your browser only destroys the cookie and you can nolonger reference your session. The data itself still exists on the server. If you write the sesionID down and type it in the URL, you can get the sssion back after restarting the browser.